Guidotti Sara, Fiduccia Alice, Sanseverino Rosanna, Pruneti Carlo
Clinical Psychology, Clinical Psychophysiology and Clinical Neuropsychology Laboratory, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy.
Nutrients. 2025 Jan 16;17(2):317. doi: 10.3390/nu17020317.
The research on orthorexia nervosa (ON) has thoroughly outlined the connection between it and various mental disorders, including obsessive-compulsive disorders and eating disorders, in addition to stress. However, research has not considered psychophysical stress and other measures of psychophysical health, such as adherence to the Mediterranean diet. This cross-sectional and case-control research involved 63 students from the University of Parma, aged between 18 and 49 years. The ORTO-15 questionnaire was utilized to categorize the entire sample into two groups: one without orthorexia (score > 35) and another with orthorexia (score < 35). All subjects were assessed with the Psychophysiological Stress Profile (PSP) and completed the Eating Disorder Inventory-3 (EDI-3) and the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R). In addition, they were interviewed using the PREDIMED questionnaire to assess adherence to the Mediterranean Diet, and their body mass index (BMI) was calculated. Subjects with orthorexia represented 38.10% of the total sample and reported a higher BMI than controls, although the PREDIMED score did not show a difference in adherence to the Mediterranean diet. The EDI-3 highlighted emotional dysregulation and hypercontrol in students with orthorexia, and a dissociation between subjective and objective measures of stress emerged. Particularly, the psychophysiological parameters of skin conductance, heart rate, and heart rate variability showed greater reactivity to stressful stimuli, but no difference was noted in psychological symptoms. These findings confirmed the presence of alterations in eating behavior in people with orthorexia as well as a higher BMI. It was hypothesized that hypercontrol might favor the perception of psychological well-being at a subjective level, although inadequate management of stress emerged at an objective psychophysiological level. Further studies are needed to highlight the causality between ON, hypercontrol, diet, and psychophysical stress, given that students with orthorexia present a dysregulation of emotions associated with greater autonomic arousal.
关于正食癖（ON）的研究已经全面阐述了它与各种精神障碍之间的联系，包括强迫症和饮食失调，以及压力。然而，研究尚未考虑心理生理压力和其他心理生理健康指标，如对地中海饮食的依从性。这项横断面和病例对照研究涉及帕尔马大学的63名学生，年龄在18至49岁之间。使用ORTO - 15问卷将整个样本分为两组：一组无正食癖（得分> 35），另一组有正食癖（得分< 35）。所有受试者均接受心理生理压力概况（PSP）评估，并完成饮食失调量表 - 3（EDI - 3）和症状自评量表 - 90修订版（SCL - 90 - R）。此外，使用PREDIMED问卷对他们进行访谈，以评估对地中海饮食的依从性，并计算他们的体重指数（BMI）。有正食癖的受试者占总样本的38.10%，尽管PREDIMED得分在对地中海饮食的依从性方面没有差异，但他们的BMI高于对照组。EDI - 3突出了有正食癖学生的情绪失调和过度控制，并且在压力的主观和客观测量之间出现了分离。特别是，皮肤电导、心率和心率变异性的心理生理参数对压力刺激表现出更大的反应性，但在心理症状方面没有差异。这些发现证实了有正食癖的人存在饮食行为改变以及较高的BMI。据推测，过度控制可能在主观层面有利于心理幸福感的感知，尽管在客观心理生理层面出现了压力管理不足的情况。鉴于有正食癖的学生存在与更大自主唤醒相关的情绪失调，需要进一步研究以突出正食癖、过度控制、饮食和心理生理压力之间的因果关系。
